"Greetings, my valiant friends. You have faced the greatest evil of any age, and yet you never wavered. Each of you was willing to sacrifice everything for this cause. Such bravery. Such skill. Such wisdom you each have shown! For that you have my deepest thanks."

Manny; The Sandman and the War of Dreams.

x

Thursday 25th December 2014

It all worked out in the end... she supposed.

With the help of her companions, it was not too difficult to remove the seeds of darkness sown in the Guardians. The yetis had been working all through the month, regardless of the ups and downs, and so Christmas was carried off with nary a hitch.

Everything was back to normal.

Almost.

Haru stood outside the Tomoko home, watching the little family inside celebrate the holiday. The children were surrounded by an assortment of half-opened presents and, even from the garden, Haru could hear the gentle tinkle of music and laughter from within.

"They can't see us, can they?"

"No."

"Not even the kids," she sighed.

"We are not believed enough in to be visible to the children," Baron said. The combination of fearling and fresh magic had given him the ability to shift heights. After some experimentation, he had found he preferred a more human size. "But maybe... that will change with time. Do you wish you had made another decision?"

"No," Haru said. "It's just going to take a while to get used to this. I just wish... I could tell them..." She shook her head, laughing weakly. "What? What could I tell them? As far as anyone knows, I disappeared off the face of the Earth around the same time Michi turned up. I wouldn't even be surprised if there are theories that I was the kidnapper."

"Does that bother you?"

"The people who matter know me better than that; still, it's a bitter taste to leave as my legacy." She chuckled humourlessly. "I suppose I have all the time in the world to leave an entirely different legacy now."

"Immortality does come with its perks."

"Perhaps I could leave a message of sorts to Hiromi and my mother... although what I could say is quite beyond me. How can I explain my vanishing act?"

"Eloped?"

"Very funny, Muta."

"I suppose you have run off with a strange man," Toto remarked.

Haru side-eyed Baron. "I think this is pushing the boundaries of 'strange'."

"You could try the truth," he offered.

"Sure. Because the horror of the last month will really set all their minds at ease."

"Whatever you decide upon, I'm sure they will appreciate knowing something."

"I know, I know..." Haru watched her lifetime friend rise to check on dinner. Away from the family, a little of Hiromi's previous cheer melted away. Haru approached the window so that the two of them were less than a yard apart, with only the window and a whole spirit world between them. Hiromi took the moment's peace to collect up her phone and check for any missed calls.

Tsuge joined her, murmuring something Haru couldn't hear.

Hiromi gestured to the phone with heavy unease. There were unshed tears glimmering in her eyes. She leant into her husband's embrace, muttering more words that didn't reach Haru, but evidently trying to hide her sadness from the children.

From where she stood, Haru could just about make out the unanswered texts delivered to her own phone.

"Okay. How do I visit someone's dream?"

ooOoo

Hiromi fell into an uneasy sleep that afternoon, worn out by emotion and Christmas work. Tsuge let her slumber, pulling up a blanket to keep her warm, while he shepherded the kids into another room.

Entering an adult's dream wasn't easy; their minds were more shut-off than a child's, but Haru knew Hiromi. She found the doorway into the dream with relative ease, and stepped through into the world of the subconscious. Here it was an assortment of places that Hiromi had known over her life, but Haru was familiar with most of them. She navigated her way through until she found her long-time friend stood atop the flat roof of their shared school.

Haru joined her at the edge. Here they would often spend their lunchtimes, watching across the town while they talked – and occasionally getting hit by the wayward sports ball. She leant against the barrier, reliving a few fond memories of a simpler time. Both she and Hiromi had reverted to their appearance from their school days, but, then again, anything could happen in a dream.

Eventually she nudged her friend.

"Hello, Hiromi."

The girl looked over and her face split into a grin. "Haru! So what did you think of the history homework, huh? Looks like it's going to be an all-nighter."

Haru smiled weakly. It was as Baron had warned her; Hiromi would take this all in as if it were an ordinary dream. She wouldn't really remember much of this; only the vague recollection of hazy images and strands of emotion. Unlike Haru, she hadn't been around magic enough for her brain to recognise the invasion of something strange.

But, it was better than nothing.

Haru laughed, elbowing her friend like she would if they were indeed back in their school days. "Only if you leave it to the last day, Hiromi."

"I do not do that. I just... take time to think over how I'm going to write it."

"Sure."

"So how's the crush on Machida going? You know, I heard some juicy gossip."

The scene had changed without Haru noticing. Although they were still around the same age, now they were walking towards the Crossroads. Hiromi skipped a few steps before Haru, grinning wildly. Haru immediately knew what the news was going to be.

"Really?"

"Machida split up with his girlfriend!"

"Oh... that's a shame."

"Hey, it's big news! Why aren't you reacting?"

"It just... doesn't really matter anymore."

Hiromi leant towards her, scepticism written all over the shorter girl's face. "Are... you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine, Hiromi."

"Is it another guy? Who have you been crushing on without telling me?!"

Haru stopped walking and stared at Hiromi. Haru's smile was sad and the instant dismissal died on her lips. Usually the brush-off of such questions came automatically, but she bit it back this time. Hiromi deserved a few truths, at least. "Okay, maybe there is a guy..."

"I KNEW IT! I knew it! So, who do I have to look out for? Is he in our year? Is he cute? Oh, duh, stupid question, of course he is–"

"Hiromi, stop," Haru laughed. "His name is Baron. And I've liked him for... a long while. He's sweet, and kind, and has a hero complex like you wouldn't believe... and I think he likes me back."

"And you didn't tell me any of this?!"

"I'm telling you this now."

"Yeah, now. Oh my goodness, this is big news. When do I get to meet him? Will I approve of him?"

"He's... a little strange, but I think you would like him once you got over that."

"Okay, but when do I get to meet him? What does he look like? Is he even in our school? I don't think I've heard of a Baron before... That's such a weird name – is he weird? Oh heavens, he's not one of those super-dramatic people, is he?"

"I don't think you have the space to call anyone dramatic," Haru muttered. Regardless, she laughed and caught her friend's arms before she could go on with her questions. "No, he's not in our school. Yes, he's weird. Yes, he's dramatic, like you wouldn't believe. And... no, you won't get the chance to meet him."

Hiromi's face fell. "What?"

Haru pulled her friend into a hug. "I'm sorry, Hiromi. I have to go away for a long while," she whispered. The dream around her shifted and suddenly they were both adults again. "I won't be able to come round for Christmas, and I won't be able to be the godmother you wanted me to be to Michi and Kasumi. But I promise you that I will watch over them. I love you and your whole family, and I wish I could stay. But I can't. Please, don't mourn for me, for I am safe and, in time, I will be happy also."

She drew away from Hiromi, and suddenly they were back to being teenagers again. The two of them had tears rolling down their cheeks, but Hiromi seemed surprised. She dabbed at the tears and laughed. "Look at that! Why... Why do I feel so sad suddenly?"

Haru smiled that same sad smile as before and realised that, in the dream, such words would roll straight over Hiromi's head. She had forgotten Haru's confession as quickly as the dream had changed.

That was okay. No dream was truly erased. Somewhere in Hiromi's mind, she would remember Haru's words, and she would feel a strange sense of peace where her missing friend was concerned. And Haru would make the trip back as many times as necessary – both to Hiromi and her mother – until she felt that they were ready to move on.

Haru could do that.

She had all the time in the world.

ooOoo

Bad dreams are not something that can be stopped. The mind is fickle and it will take the events of a day and shuffle them into the form of dreams. And sometimes the brain takes the bad stuff along with the good, and thus nightmares happen.

But the Bureau could keep watch. They could shape the nightmares into something that would do less harm and could perhaps even spur the dreamers in a better direction. Haru would sometimes slip into the dreams herself and help them face their monsters. They tried to nudge the worse dreams away; try to rein them into more manageable forms, but they couldn't control every dream. Some slipped through the net.

For there will always be nightmares.

There will always be darkness.

And it is what is in that darkness that people fear.

But with the years, the tales the children told were not of monsters but of something far more benign – caring, even – keeping watch in the night. Of something that wasn't separate from the darkness, but something that controlled the monsters and made them tame.

The years passed and Haru watched her friends and family pass also. And still she remained never-aging, never-changing. She kept watch over her godchildren, like she had promised, and over their children and grandchildren who followed. She knew she couldn't play favourites, but somehow she always ended up drawn back to that family. They were the last legacy she had left. Her last solid link to humanity, even if it was not through blood, but friendship.

And as time rolled on, so did the stories.

Until, while watching Hiromi's great-great-great grandchild, the girl looked their way and, for the first time in a hundred years, a human saw the Bureau.

And so the stories continue.

ooOoo

A/N: IT. IS. DONE. Oh my goodness, thank you so much for your patience! I swear I blinked and six months just... happened. Anyway, I'm sticking by my earlier word, I'm afraid; there will probably be no new stories until The Bureau Files: Series 3 (unless you count the AU oneshots on Tumblr, but they don't really count...) which will be this autumn. In the meantime, I'm going to finish writing up my other stories (and TBF3) so I can hopefully get back to my regular schedule at some point.

Okay so, thank you to all my awesome reviewers: Waterpokemon; PrincessoftheShadowsofDestiny; Rowena BaronErikandSnapelover; chocolatebearturk; Sindy Sugar; solar-baeby; Nanenna; FantasticMisticalWonder; isara-love; Tasolae; Midnight the Black Fox; haruxdreamcometrue 16; nalua93; Suzumehime; Raye of the Sunshine; nitroglycerine; The-Right-Girl; Lightning Hound; KatzenBlut; Meeklish; E-man-dy-S; Tie-Dyed Broadway; and finally all the shy anons. You guys are the best, and I hope my half-year hiatus hasn't scared you off!

Cat.